


Greek Tragedy

by polandspringz



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bullying, Canon Rewrite, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Oscar Attends Beacon AU, Volume 1 (RWBY), Volume 3 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28784007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polandspringz/pseuds/polandspringz
Summary: "Now, onto the more pressing question. Why did I select all of you? Some of you may have met with one of my professors, others with me personally. I can only tell you this now- I have seen potential in you that I have not seen in others, and should you complete your time at this school successfully, I will have a great mission for you in the future.”He paused and looked around the room. Oscar must have been imagining things, because he thought he felt the gaze linger on him for an extra second longer than the rest of the students.
Relationships: Glynda Goodwitch & Ozpin, Oscar Pine & Original Character(s), Ozma & Ozpin (RWBY), Ozpin & Oscar Pine, Ozpin & Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos & Oscar Pine
Comments: 7
Kudos: 42





	Greek Tragedy

**Author's Note:**

> Over a year ago, I asked for some RWBY requests in my inbox. I had forgotten about most of them unfortunately, due to my attention shifting to other works. I rediscovered them when sifting through one day, and found a request that I originally did not think much of. Many people have done an "Oscar Attends Beacon AU" before, but as Volume 8 approached, I suddenly found myself resonating with the idea more. I started this story back on October 10th, 2020, and am so happy to finally post it. Unfortunately, due to it's length, I could not find a beta-reader to review it, so I had to do it myself. I apologize for any mistakes! I am not used to writing this long of a story for a single one-shot. I hope you enjoy!

Oscar had been sitting in the grass of the pastures, knocked over by a lamb that had just learned how to run alongside the larger sheep, when he saw the two figures approach. A woman with blonde hair dressed in formal clothing, and what appeared to be an older man using a cane as he walked. They both were out of place along the dirt path, the woman struggling as her heels sunk into the mud, and the confident, sturdy gait of the old man completely wrong even as he dragged his cane forward with each step they took. Oscar sat up when he saw them approach near the fence, pushing the heavy clouds of the unsheared sheep out of his way as he fought to see over them.

He called out uncertainty, the sharp glare of the woman making him flinch, “Can I… help you?”

The two shared a look that traded thoughts that Oscar was not privy to before the woman nodded and softened her expression, “We are looking for Mrs. Em Pine. Do you know where we might find her?”

“Oh, that’s my aunt,” Oscar said as he pushed off his knee to stand up, “She’s just inside. Let me get her for you.”

He made sure to lock the gate as he stepped outside it, scanning the horizon to make sure no Grimm were lurking by the edges of the forest. His hand traced the rusty metal of the fence before he finally pulled away. They would be fine for a minute. There hadn’t been any Grimm around in over a month.

“Follow me,” he said as he padded up the steps of the farmhouse. He didn’t bother to hold the door open and stepped inside first, shrugging his boots off on the mud mat as the two waited on the threshold. Once he was free and sure that Uncle Henry was going to scold him for trudging dirt through the house, he walked inside and followed the hallway to the kitchen.

“Aunt Em! We have guests!”  
  


“Oh? Who is it?”  
  


Oscar popped his head back through the door frame to eye the two with an arched eyebrow. The woman sighed and crossed her arms. The man stayed silent.

“Beacon,” she said, “Beacon Academy.”

Glynda watched as the boy’s eyes bugged for a moment before he disappeared around the wall again, a distinctive _“Oh my god they’re from Beacon Academy!_ ” squeaking out from him as footsteps pounded away and faded out. There was hushed conversation from where Glynda presumed the kitchen was, an argument rising only when the other woman’s voice echoed through the halls on stern remarks of _“Oscar, I said go outside. Now.”_

The boy appeared again with an older woman in tow, _her-_ ringing her hands out on a dishtowel and smiling- _the boy-_ with shoulders slumped as he moved through the space between the strangers and took his boots outside on the porch. The storm door slammed closed and Oscar could sense from over his shoulder, the old man looking at him through the door’s window as he shucked on his dirty boots again, and waded back into the pastures.

“So,” Aunt Em said as she tossed the towel over her shoulder, “What brings two huntsmen from Beacon Academy to my farm?”

Oscar obeyed Aunt Em’s orders and went back to the sheep and other livestock, herding some of the ones that were further back in the fields closer in as the sun was setting, but ultimately he got sidetracked and moved back towards the house to listen in on the conversation. The sitting room window had been left open, so if he creeped close enough he was able to sit against the brick foundation, his back to the yellow siding, and only had to strain a little bit to hear.

_“...He’s only thirteen. He’s still a young boy. What do you see that makes you think he can become a huntsman?”_

_“We believe he is incredibly talented. It’s innate. Believe us, we have never before made a mistake in our acceptance or invitations,”_ A new voice- the man- said.

_“What do you have to prove that though? He hasn’t ever been to the cities like Argus that have beginner schools like Sanctum. I don’t understand why two professors from Vale would suddenly have an interest in my nephew.”_

_“Headmaster actually,”_ the man said.

_“Headmaster? What difference does that make…”_ Aunt Em sighed, _“He’s had no combat experience. He’s just a simple farmhand. I don’t understand.”_

Oscar swatted a bug off of his ankle and started to stretch up, trying to glance over the window sill and see inside. Aunt Em’s hand was to her temple, her fingers partially combed through her messy bun of warm, dark brown hair as she sighed again.

“I know Haven takes students who are at least seventeen. He’s four years younger. Even if you think he’ll be able to keep up with the school work, he’ll be so much younger than the other students. I just don’t feel comfortable sending him somewhere so far away. It’s on another continent, for goodness sake…”

“We actually have another student who is starting two years early. A fifteen year old. She was scouted as well, and hand selected by the headmaster too,” the woman said.

“She proved her prowess in a fight against some thieves at a Dust Shop in Vale. I assure you, Oscar won’t be the only one starting there early,” the man said.

_Wait. Me?!_ Oscar ducked back down and slapped a hand over his mouth to hide a gasp. _The headmaster of Beacon wants me to go to his academy?_

“But still! It’s on another continent, and you haven’t seen him fight at all. I don’t care what you say is ‘innate’ about his ability, I can’t trust that he won’t get himself killed or hurt in combat against so many other, _older,_ students who are already skilled. Besides, to dorm there and support him living in another kingdom, I’m afraid we just don’t have the money for that-”

“If Oscar were to attend Beacon, everything would be taken care of. The reason we are so intent on him enrolling with us is because we are offering a special scholarship for select students this year. You would not have to worry about anything while he was in our care,” the woman stated, and the headmaster leaned forward, both of his hands resting on the top of his cane.

“I understand your concern. You care very deeply for your nephew, like all adults should for their children. However, if I can ease your concern any bit, let me tell you this. I was brought to Beacon at a young age as well, and quickly climbed through the ranks and became the headmaster when I was around twenty-eight. I am not saying this to brag, but because it is completely _possible._ I only wish to bring Oscar there for a trial, the initiation and orientation ceremony at most. If things do not work out, he can return home safely. But, I beg of you to give your nephew a chance-”

There was a loud howling the wind carried from over the horizon. Aunt Em’s head snapped to the treeline before she launched to her feet and rushed to the window. She shouted out, “Oscar! The Beowulves are- what are the sheep still doing that far out? Oscar?!”

“It’s my fault, sorry!” Oscar slammed his head on the window from how fast he shot up, revealing his hiding place but sparing no time for Aunt Em’s lectures (although he could see her face turning red when she realized he had been eavesdropping) and dashed towards the gate, rushing for the pitchfork he had stabbed into some hay a few hours ago.

“I’ll get Henry, just- hold on!”

Aunt Em rushed through the door, but Glynda caught her arm and stopped her.

“Listen, I do think we’ve talked all we should about this, but if you have anything more to say can it wait until I make sure my livestock and nephew aren’t gobbled up by some Grimm-”

Glynda raised her riding crop and Ozpin stood up, leaning on his cane. Letting go of her arm, Glynda breezed past easily and out the storm door, Ozpin following behind.

“If you would allow us, we will resolve this for you to make up for our trouble,” Ozpin said with a smile.

Oscar went with his pitchfork and sprinted through the fields, hopping over the fences as he whistled for their old sheepdog to begin rounding up the ones he could while Oscar pursued the ones who had strayed from the flock. He made it over the last fence and into the final pasture, cursing himself for skirting his duties as he saw three Beowulves stalking towards several lambs huddled in the center by some grass.

It wasn’t his first time he had dealt with a Grimm or two, but as he rushed towards the sheep, he heard the growls of several other creatures lurking in the shadows of the trees, and he flinched. Pulling the pitchfork close to him, he backed up into the small herd as the red eyes slowly emerged from the shadows, at least ten more wolves coming into sight.

_Where is Uncle Henry?_ He tightened his grip on the pitchfork. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.

Their sheepdog was just beginning to reach the gates to this open field as he finished chasing the other herds back towards the barn. Oscar knew if the dog got any closer, he would stand no chance against this number of Grimm, but if Oscar signaled the command, he would be putting a target on his back and likely launch the lurking Grimm into action.

The sheep around him caught sight of the dog and began to trot away, bleating softly. The dog was near the gate now, bounding forward with energy at the site of the predators circling Oscar.

He was always a good dog, Oscar thought as he raised his hand and put two fingers in between his lips.

He whistled.

The dog turned and ran away.

The Grimm surged forward. Oscar readied his pitchfork.

He managed to strike one cleanly in the stomach as it jumped up, turning it to dust before he spun around and struck the next one. He only nicked the side of its jaw though, and its claws scraped the side of his neck with a sickening roar. Oscar stumbled back as something wet dripped down his collarbone, and one hand let go of the pitchfork to reach up and smear it along his neck to stop the distracting sensation of the iron trickle.

He shouldn’t have done that, as the Grimm in front of him crunched the tool with its teeth, entering a tug of war with Oscar as he desperately tried to maintain a grip on his last defense. More dark figures stalked in a circle around him until the growls were loud and cacophonous, a unanimous snarl that warned of his demise. The sun was still out, the sky was orange and not the least bit cloudy, but a smaller, bird-like Grimm soared overhead, an omen of Oscar’s luck. As he glanced up into the sky, saying a small prayer, the Grimm yanked the tool out of his hands, and then with a sharp _snap_ and a shake, the metal fork of the broken farm tool was soaring across the pasture, flying just out of his grasp as he lunged towards it.

He was too late. The worst push-and-pull imaginable was exerted on his body as he reached out at the flash of metal before being slammed back and down in the earth, his head ricocheting against the hard grass and dirt before he felt the full weight of the beast on top of him. Crushing his chest, the claws ripped at his shirt, and the foul-stench of the beast’s breath warmed his face as it snapped towards his throat.

_This was the end,_ Oscar thought miserably as he squinted his eyes shut.

...Only to feel the weight lifted as a gust of wind circled around him. Oscar’s eyes shot open and grew wider from then as he watched the Grimm float up in the air above him, a purple glow surrounding the Beowulf and then the others as they began to whip up in a whirlwind around him. The monsters danced in the air with panicked howls as they were forced to climb higher in the sky, their legs scrambling for purchase against nothing. The energy that vibrated through the air was now completely spiraling, forming a tornado of purple light, and Oscar was in the center of it.

His fingers gripped against the earth as he watched the display in awe and shock, somewhat worried he would get picked up too as it seemed to be closing in on all sides. But, then it all stopped, and the purple glow faded. Oscar watched as the beasts floated in the air for a moment more, before they all came crashing down the earth. Like meteorites, he thought, recalling a book he found in the back of the shed. An ancient farmer’s almanac that had recorded phases of the moon alongside weather. It spoke of some shards falling to earth instead of reforming. It piqued Oscar’s curiosity enough that he stared up at the stars each night and tried to notice any cracks in the moon as it shaped itself back to normal, but it always seemed perfectly round by the end.

The monsters thudded against the earth with a sickening noise as their fleshy bodies erupted from the impact. No blood splattered across the grass though, and their bodies merely evaporated into the air, a cloud of black flakes slowly rising back to the forest to be at rest.

Oscar heard footsteps behind him, wading through the grass.

The blonde haired woman was moving towards him, a riding crop in her hand. _Had she done all of that? She was a huntress from Beacon. Was that her semblance?_

He glanced further back, towards the first gate of the pastures. He could see his aunt and uncle standing back there, beside the headmaster with the cane. His head was bowed, and he appeared to be talking to them, but Oscar was too far away to hear.

“Your nephew may not be skilled right now, but if you entrust him to us, he can come back here and know how to protect the both of you,” Ozpin said quietly, “Becoming a huntsman or huntress isn’t always a life sentence or adventure. Many of our students live quiet lives protecting small lands and their families, and they are just as valuable, if not more, than those who put themselves on the front lines against evil.”

Aunt Em’s face twisted in confusion at that last line, and Uncle Henry was even more lost having only just arrived to find strangers on his doorstep, but what the headmaster was saying held some truth. She looked out towards her nephew, who she had been entrusted to raising since his parents’ early death. She watched as Glynda held out a hand and pulled the boy to his feet, stumbling towards her but she caught him by the shoulders, and steadied him with that purple glow again. The two figures in the field were backlit by the setting sun’s light, and as they turned into dark shadows, Ember could almost see her brother and sister-in-law standing there too, where she had last seen them, before they were devoured by beasts just like the ones that had just been torn apart.

Ember wasn’t a fool. She knew what had brought those Grimm out of hiding, _whose_ fear had led them to the farm. She had been so overwhelmed by the headmaster and huntress’s questions that she thought the worst, and almost gotten her nephew killed. She always believed they could hold up well enough against the few predators that came out of the darkness, but she knew there was no guarantee this far from the kingdom walls.

She sighed. _It was a day just like today too, when it happened…_

“Would you like to become a huntsman?” The woman asked as Oscar walked alongside her, back towards his family.

“I… I’m not sure. I’m only a farmhand. I’ve only _ever_ been a farmhand.”

“Our students come from all different backgrounds. A huntsman or huntress can come from anywhere, as long as you’re serious enough about it and work hard.”

Oscar doubted that she was serious about that, the harsh look in her eye as she stared towards the headmaster convinced him that it took someone capable of becoming as hardened as she was to reach that title, but a childish part of him latched onto the idea and possibility of _him_ becoming someone great like that.

_Still…_

They were a few feet away from Aunt Em when she suddenly turned around and curtly waved a hand in the air, “Fine. You can take him.”

“What?” Oscar asked, “You’re letting me go?”  
  


“You heard our conversation. I’m sure you already know what they were talking about. If you want to go, you can go.”

“There will be a trial period open to you,” the headmaster said, “If you don’t find yourself fitting in, you can return with no issue.”

Oscar bit his lip and looked at the ground as he thought over everything. Aunt Em’s shoulders were shaking, and Uncle Henry was still standing around with a puzzled expression on his face until he realized his wife was crying. He guided her away back towards the house, softly coaxing answers out of her while Oscar was left with the two strangers.

“What’s the matter?” The headmaster asked, “Aren’t you excited to get a chance to become a hero?”

“I just don’t understand. I’m just a farmhand. _Why_ did you want me?”

The man only smiled.

* * *

Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch visited at the start of the spring season. Oscar didn’t officially depart from Anima to Saunus until two months later. Three weeks before the semester started, he packed up what little belongings he had and departed his house, giving his family many hugs as he walked the path to the train station, which began his lonely journey. He had been sent a letter from Professor Ozpin himself about how to find his way to Beacon, alongside a gift he had not yet figured out how to open. It reminded Oscar of the cane the man had carried without much use, except this was merely the handle of it. He kept it inside his backpack, only taking it out at night to examine when he felt boredom round itself back towards curiosity. He was fearful touching it too much might make it explode or break. He would have to ask the man in person when he arrived on campus, he supposed.

  
After the train came an airship. Oscar arrived at the skyport piers and dug the letter out again to check the instructions. There would be several Vale-model ships amongst the Mistral ones, Oscar just needed to find the one carrying students, not supplies. The ship to Beacon would depart at one o’clock exactly. It was twelve thirty according to the clock in the center of the plaza, and there were at least twenty metal Vale ships scattered among the wooden, dragon winged ships he had seen flying around Anima.

He supposed he would have to get looking.

At twelve fifty-five, Oscar began to panic. He had asked about half of the guards in front of the ships so far, but none of them were going to Beacon, and so he still had to run and investigate the ships on the other side of the plaza if he was going to make it in time. He couldn’t afford to miss this ship, as he only had one ticket, and he didn’t want to get lost in Vale trying to find his way across an unfamiliar continent. He had tried to look for more huntsman-like people in the plaza, looking for unusually dressed people with large weapons or luggage holding said weapons, but could find nothing. He glanced at the clock again. It was twelve fifty seven. He began to break out into a run. He was going to have to ask somebody-

“Woah!” Oscar shouted as he collided with a leg and went flying through the air. There was a sharp gasp from the person he had tripped over, and his hands flew out in front of him as he went soaring towards the concrete without any way to stop himself. He was about to skid his face into the rock when suddenly he felt himself be tugged back and upright.

_That felt like when Professor Goodwitch-_

He turned around, only to see a young woman with golden hair- no, wait- red hair. She was wearing a golden head scarf over her hair, but the bright, fiery red of her bangs peeked out of the fabric. She had on a dark brown coat and pulled her hand back to remove her sunglasses so she could get a better look at the boy she had just yanked upright. Her eyes were _very_ green, Oscar noted.

“Are you okay?” She asked politely, “I’m sorry for tripping you.”

“No, no! It was my fault. I ran into you. I’m the one who's sorry.”

“No, no,” she corrected, “I should have been watching where I was going. You were obviously in a rush, I should know better than to stop and stare in such a busy place,” she laughed a little at that, and readjusted the glasses back onto her face.

Rather than keeping up what Oscar suspected was going to be a cycle of apologies, the too-loud ticking of the large clock brought him back to his problem at hand, “Hey, I hate to ask you this after nearly knocking you over, but do you know where the airship going to Beacon is? I kind of need to get on that one specifically but I only have about two minutes before the ship departs.”

“Oh! You’re going to Beacon too? I didn’t realize you were a student too! Follow me!”

She grabbed a hold of Oscar’s wrist, and ran with him across the plaza to the last row of ships. He struggled to keep up as he was practically dragged by her longer legs and stronger grip to a smaller airship that was barely filled with passengers. The woman let go once they were stopped by the crewmate taking tickets, and Oscar fumbled with his bag to get his out. They both walked inside off the platform and the doors closed up behind them.

“Thank you,” Oscar said through gasps, “I don’t think I would have found it in time on my own.”

“Don’t worry about it. Not many students from Sanctum decide to go to Beacon, so the transport ship is always very small. Here, let’s find a seat.”

Oscar followed the woman to an empty window seat in the back of the ship, away from the few trainee huntsmen and huntresses milling about. They all had various weapons strapped to their backs or wrapped around their limbs, but Oscar saw none on the red-haired woman. He wondered if maybe hers were too big and so they were stowed away somewhere else on the ship already.

“So,” he asked as they sat down and glanced out the window, “What’s your name?”

She blinked at him confused for a moment, and Oscar thought he had offended her until a wide smile broke out across her face, “Oh! You don’t know who I am?”

“No…? Am I supposed to?” Oscar regretted how awkward he sounded. He may already be ruining his chance at making one friend. _Could he even make friends at this school? He was so much younger than everyone else…_

“Oh no! I just thought you would have recognized me already. Guess my disguise worked then!” She laughed a bit before she leaned close to him and held up a hand to hide her face as she whispered, “I’m dressed like this because I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I’m Pyrrha Nikos.”

That name bounced around in Oscar head for a moment before coming up empty. _She’s probably just a big name huntress,_ he thought, and decided to just extend his hand rather than ask any more questions, “I’m Oscar Pine.”

“Nice to meet you, Oscar,” she leaned forward on the seat, her fingers curling around the edge of the black slate surface as she smiled at him from under her glasses, “I’m just so surprised. I’m honestly not trying to boast, but I’m just used to strangers from Sanctum chasing me down the moment they see me.”

“Oh, well… I’m not from Sanctum you see.”

“You’re not? Then what training school did you come from?”

Oscar nervously twiddled his thumbs, “Uh… none. I’m sort of a scholarship student? I’m still figuring it out but Headmaster Ozpin came to my house and requested I come to the school this year.”

He cast a glance at Pyrrha. She was just staring at him with her glasses having fallen low on her nose, and her mouth rounded it a perfect o-shape.

“I know, that must sound really weird. I don’t even have a weapon yet but-”

“No! No! It sounds incredible! For the headmaster to come visit you personally? That must mean they saw something special in you.”

_Yeah, but **what,**_ Oscar was still asking himself. No one had given him an answer yet.

“As for a weapon, hm. I’m not sure about that, as most students customize their weapons at Sanctum and other schools, but I’m sure the Headmaster took that into account if he was inviting you to the school. Are you familiar with any tools?”

“Only farming ones,” Oscar sighed, “I lived in the middle of nowhere. I barely knew Anima, now I have to learn Sanus all by myself.”

“Hey, I’m sure it’ll be fine. After all, most of everyone on this ship hasn’t been outside the kingdom. If you have been holding your own on a farm for so long, you must have some skills that will help you.”

Oscar looked up at her, hopeful. She scratched the back of her head and laughed again, “I’ll admit, I’m something of a scatterbrain myself, so let’s learn how to navigate Vale together.”

She held out her hand. Oscar smiled at it, and took it.

Except, that didn’t happen at all. The moment the ship docked at the school’s skyport, and Pyrrha shed her disguise to check her weapons in with the school, all the new students were swarming her, dragging her away in the crowd of questions, compliments, and other things that became a mash of conversation that Oscar was not privy to. He thought he heard her cry out another “I’m sorry!” over the wave of bustling students, but he wasn’t sure. Next thing he knew, the check-in clerk was shouting-

“Hey, kid. You’re holding up the line.”

“Oh, sorry…” Oscar mumbled.

“It’s fine. So, what’s your weapon?”

“I don’t… have one?”

The clerk arched a brow at him, “Are you kidding me? Hey, wait a second… Kid are you supposed to dock at Beacon? You look a little young to be-”

“I will be taking care of him from here,” a familiar voice said, and Oscar turned to see Professor Goodwitch standing nearby. She folded her arms, riding crop in hand, and glanced down at Oscar dismissively, “Come with me. We will discuss your scholarship in Professor Ozpin’s office.”

Oscar quickly shifted his backpack on his shoulders and hurried after her, trying to ignore all the eyes boring into him as he fled.

* * *

“I am happy to hear you made it here safely,” Ozpin said as Oscar stood in front of his grand desk. The boy was trying to look Ozpin in the eye and be respectful, but every so often his eyes would stray to the impressive clockwork gears turning over his head in the tower’s structure. Ozpin had to smile. It was so obvious the boy was out of his element now that he was gone from that farm.

“Oh, yeah, I suppose so,” Oscar mumbled absentmindedly as he looked up to the ceiling again. Glynda moved forward with her riding crop to get his attention back, but Ozpin held up a hand.

_I’ll handle this,_ “Now, you would be getting the same speech as the other students at orientation, but I thought to bring you here first to help you adjust better. Tonight you will be staying, like all our other students, in the main hall until dorm assignments are announced. You will be grouped into a team after the initiation tomorrow, and you will be rooming with them for the next four years.”

Oscar’s eyes snapped away from the ceiling at the word _initiation,_ and Ozpin leaned forward on the desk, his folded hands coming to rest on the desk, “How does that all sound? Exciting?”

“I… guess? Sorry, I’m just still a bit in awe about being here. It doesn’t feel real at all.”

“Perhaps it will feel more real when we finally get a weapon in your hands?”

“Oh! A weapon! That’s right! I didn’t bring anything with me cause the letter didn’t say to so I wasn’t sure-”

“It’s completely fine. Since you are a student we invited out here personally, I took the liberty of crafting a weapon for you. It can be temporary or permanent, whatever you decide. Do you have the other package I sent you?” Ozpin waited as Oscar pulled the silver object out of his bag and handed it to him. Instantly, Ozpin pressed the side of it, and from the metal appeared the smooth, cylindrical shape of a black cane. Ozpin handed it back to him, “If you decided to leave after the first day, you may. But, if you find you want to stay here, you are free to continue using the weapon if it is to your liking, or as you learn about crafting and maintenance, you can fashion your own in due time.”

“Thank you,” Oscar gasped as he stared down at the elegant weapon. It _was_ identical to the one the headmaster carried. _Did that mean that his was a weapon too? He had not gotten the chance to see him use it,_ “I promise to take good care of it.”

“See to it that you will. It is a fairly standard weapon, made for ease of combat after my own. You may see some other students handling ones like it. I had a few produced for any students like yourself who we invited here without much of a background.”

“Oh. Is that girl you mentioned one of them?”

“Girl?”

“Yeah, I overheard you talking to my aunt when you were at the farm? You mentioned there was another younger student like me attending.”

“Oh, she’s an exception and young like you, but she comes from Signal Academy, and is actually not in this special program. We scouted several other students for our scholarship after we visited you. You’ll surely see them in some of your classes, as some have not much experience like you.”

“Speaking of your classes, Mr. Pine,” Glynda said, standing beside the desk with her arms crossed, “We would like to do a quick assessment to figure out what classes to sort you into. Normally we enroll all of our first years into the general requirements, like Remnant and Vale history, combat instruction, and semblance training, but these build on the courses from regular schooling or the combat schooling. We would like to evaluate what you already know to see if you need any remedial help.”

“Uh, sure? If I’m being honest, I’ve only ever worked on the farm. You would probably be saving a lot of time if you just placed me in those remedial classes to begin with.”

“You may say that, but you would be surprised by what you may already know. There’s no point in school if it’s not a bit challenging,” Ozpin smiled, and motioned with his hand, “The assessment will be short, so you shouldn’t miss the orientation speech. Glynda, if you would.”

“Follow me,” the woman said as she walked back towards the elevator. Oscar adjusted the straps of his backpack and followed after her, giving a small wave back at Ozpin before he disappeared through the elevator.

Once the doors closed, Ozpin’s shoulders slumped. There was no one in the office to see it, but a new glimmer flashed through his eyes before he lifted his head.

_“Are you certain this is the best way to do things?”_

“It could still be random,” Ozpin answered himself, “but if it was one of the several we have selected, then all for the better that we are a few steps ahead in training. If we happen to be wrong, it is still not wasted effort.”

Ozpin sighed, his voice a little deeper and mannerisms a bit older.

_“It is. We could be focusing our time on-”_

“We could, but it was you who decided years ago that teaching students was the best way to combat the Grimm. Therefore, passing on knowledge and skill is never wasted effort. Even if none of them are the _one,_ it just means one more huntsman in the world to help the fight.”

This time, the other voice did not answer aloud. Instead, Ozpin heard faintly, in a long since faded part of his mind-

_One more huntsman we’re sending out to die._

“As is always the case,” Ozpin leaned back in his chair and smiled as he shut his eyes. He could feel the sunbeams from the great window brushing his face, and he wondered if _Ozma_ could still feel the warmth from them, even as he resided so far back in his mind, “But, my friend, you always said one of the best qualities of mine was my boundless optimism.”

Ozpin’s scroll blinked twice with a new message from Glynda. It was almost time to begin the orientation.

Standing up from his desk and grabbing his own cane, Ozpin strided towards the door, casting a small glance over his shoulder, his eyes glancing just above the tint of his glasses towards his desk.

The chair was empty.

“And speaking of optimism, I’m certain that some of our new students may just provide our world with some of that by the time they graduate.”

But it spoke volumes.

“Come now, we have a speech to give. Should I let you do the honors?”

  
There was silence, and Ozpin rested his hands atop the handle of the cane as he felt a familiar feeling wash over him, almost like a ghost was phasing through him. To others, it might have been a cold feeling, but it brought nothing but warmth, even though it was only faint now.

“We have got to stop talking to ourselves, old friend,” Ozpin smirked, bringing a finger to his lips, “Anyone could be listening.”

* * *

Oscar trailed behind Professor Goodwitch as they exited the testing room. He didn’t need to see his score, he already knew he had done terrible on that exam. Plus, Professor Goodwitch’s sour expression upon reading over his answers were enough of an indication. At least, he didn’t have to worry about struggling to catch up in a class where he was expected to already know these things. That was the point of the exam, after all.

Still, it was a bit discouraging to know how right both Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin had been about his knowledge just from first glance.

Oscar followed the woman through the dark gray stone hallways of the school. The black, back of her cape was a sigil that he kept close to as he turned every corner, every weave, back towards the main hall of the building. As they approached a heavy set of wooden doors, Professor Goodwitch stepped aside, motioning for him to go on.

“You will join the rest of the new students for Professor Ozpin’s orientation speech, and follow the same instructions as everyone else until classes begin in two days' time. I will be evaluating your results tonight and after you receive your team assignments, I will give you your class schedule. You may go now.”

Oscar looked up at the dark gray lancet arches that were etched into the stone surrounding the doors. Everything here was so tall, so much bigger and grander than everything he had known on the farm. Above the arches were quatrefoil designs painted in a charcoal brown that resembled the gears in Professor Ozpin’s office. Oscar glanced down at the handle of the cane he had been gifted.

“You may give that to me, for now. I will deposit it in the lockers with the rest of the student body’s weapons. You will see it again tomorrow,” Professor Goodwitch held out her hand expectantly.

“Um… Couldn’t I hold onto it? So I could get more of a feel for how to use it tonight, before initiation starts?”

The woman sighed and motioned for him to hand it over already. Reluctantly, Oscar placed it in her hand and let her take it away.

_Not like it’s mine in the first place,_ he thought, _no reason to be attached to it._

“We understand that you are unfamiliar with combat, and will take that into account. However, we don’t want any incidents happening the first night as we still evaluate our students skills and place them accordingly. You are all sleeping in the same room tonight, and if you are unfamiliar with your weapon you could very well be putting other students at risk.”

She tucked the cane under her arm and grabbed the handle of the door, pulling it open a crack so the noise of the students bustling on the other side began to come through into the previously quiet hallway.

“I promise you, Professor Ozpin has designed this weapon to make it easy for you to learn. You should have no problem tomorrow. Now, join the others.”

He stepped in through the doors.

* * *

Oscar let out another strangled shout as his body slammed into the trunk of a tree, an ursa pinning him there with it’s large, white claws around his neck. Oscar’s feet struggled to reach the ground as he was pressed further up the tree, the bear-like Grimm seemed to be trying to just tear him apart, but had somehow managed to put him in a chokehold as it overpowered his meager attempts with his “weapon.”

Oscar was feeling somewhat scared, of course, but mostly angry at Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin for just handing him a weak, lame cane that bore no blade, bullets, or strength to do any sizable damage. Maybe if he had been given more time with it, _like he wanted,_ he could have learned more than how to expand and shrink it down. Instead, he was about to die before he even received a team, before he could even ask to be sent back home and-

The weight and strength of the ursa’s hand suddenly stopped, and moments later was followed by the evaporation of the mighty beast as it turned to black dust and faded away. Oscar fell in a heap on the ground, sputtering as two other students walked over to him, helping him to his feet.

“You alright, kid?” One of them said. Oscar was heaved up from under his arms and pressed against the tree again to stabilize his swaying body. He coughed and sputtered until his lungs began to breathe normally again, his throat a little sore but overall no real injuries. The one who spoke brushed his hands over Oscar’s shirt to dust off the leaves and twigs that had tangled themselves in the cotton of his shirt (from when Oscar had narrowly landed in a patch of branches after Ozpin launched him off a cliff without any warning). The student’s hand pulled back with a small amount of blood smeared over his fingers.

“He doesn’t even have aura activated? What’s a kid this young doing here?” the other student said.

“Hey, be quiet. Are you okay?” The one who was inspecting him over spoke again. Oscar glanced down and saw that it was only a few scratches from where a stick had cut across his stomach.

“Yeah. Thankfully it was just a branch wound and not the ursa’s claws, right?” he tried to joke, but laughing hurt, “Thank you for helping me.”

“No problem, but you better hurry up and find a teammate soon, kid, or else you’re going to struggle to finish the initiation. Here,” the kinder student took something out of his bag and lifted up Oscar’s sliced shirt, smoothing the bandage against his side and over the scratches, “There. Hopefully that will help prevent it from getting infected. I’ll be honest, I’m terrible at first aid. Good luck kid.”

He pulled the shirt back down and picked up his weapon again, a halberd that he swung over his shoulder. He was a tall man (although at this point Oscar was learning everything in the world was tall outside of the farm) with brown long hair that he was tied back tightly. The other student, a woman with dark red short hair, frowned down at Oscar but was quick to turn and trot after the man, the two of them disappearing without another word into the brush of the Emerald Forest.

Oscar sighed, and picked up his cane, leaning on it as he winced at the slight pain in his back from when he had slammed into the tree trunk. He wanted to stop and rest some more but…

The student was right. It had been quite a while since the initiation had begun, and Oscar had yet to find someone who wasn’t already paired up with someone else. He had to hurry.

Although as Oscar limped across the clearing, the part of his mind screaming out at the pain reminded him _you can always drop out,_ the rest of his mind focused squarely on the three goals he saw in front of him now.

_One- Find a teammate._

_  
Two- Find the relic, or whatever item he needed to escape the initiation._

_  
Three- Survive and get back to the cliffs._

Oscar pushed his way through the bushes and had just seen the two students go through. He could still hear their voices in the distance. Maybe, if he stuck close behind them, he would find someone, and would avoid dying at the hands of another Grimm all by himself.

* * *

The way the initiation ended was perhaps the worst possible outcome for Oscar.

He failed his first goal, to find a partner in time. He was still running around the forest after losing track of the two students he was following, unable to find any tracks or paths that could lead him to where his second goal could be achieved, and lastly, he almost died several times as more and more Grimm seemed to crawl out of the shadows the more Oscar got lost.

He was lucky he didn’t fail his third goal, or else he would have been nothing more than a blood stain on the forest floor, but he wished it had gone a little less embarrassingly.

None of the other students needed a teacher to intervene, but Oscar apparently was so incompetent that when he was being pursued solo by three Death Stalkers, Professor Ozpin materialized out of thin air and swooped Oscar out of harm’s way. The boy was tossed back against the grass as Ozpin swiftly pulled out his cane and disarmed the three Grimm within seconds, and yet again Oscar found himself staring up in awe as the Grimm erupted into black dust within seconds. Like smoke from a fire, the dust swirled up into a thick cloud before vanishing against the gray afternoon sky.

Ozpin straightened back up after finishing his last strike, using the cane languidly as he walked over to Oscar, who was sitting up in the grass, and offered a hand to him.

“Your first day has been rough, hasn’t it?”

“Tell me about it,” Oscar groaned as he was helped up again, “I thought I was going to die the moment you launched me off the cliff.”

“Yet another measure of your skill before we group you together. It will get easier with time, believe me.”

Ozpin looked at Oscar from above his tiny, wired sunglasses. His gaze was evaluating, but not scrutinizing. Oscar tried not to shrink under it as it scanned over his form.

“Already thinking of dropping out?”

“I don’t know. I already failed the initiation, haven’t I? Everyone’s already left the forest and I haven’t found a partner, so I thought-”

“Oscar, I can assure you that you haven’t failed. In fact, was there someone you made eye contact with when you first were running from that ursa earlier?”

“You saw that?” Oscar asked, rubbing his neck.

Ozpin smirked, “We have cameras everywhere to observe our students. That was how I knew you were struggling, and made an exception to help you this once. It is also in place to prevent people from _cheating.”_

Ozpin glanced over Oscar’s shoulder at that, and slowly, Oscar turned around.

At first, he saw nothing but trees and some dilapidated, temple like structure. A distant part of his mind realized that this must have been where he was supposed to find the relics this whole time, but he was more concerned with what Ozpin had said. He scanned the treeline surrounding the clearing, but saw nothing. He started to turn back around.

“Did you mean those two students who helped me earlier? I thought they were already paired up?”

“They were. There’s someone else though,” Ozpin stepped forward, his cane swinging in front of him with each step. Once he was closer to the broken stone temple, he spoke loudly across the clearing, “I would like it if you show yourself. Either way, you will be meeting him later when teams are assigned.”

There was nothing, and then rustling from the bushes behind the temple. From the scraggly leaves, a woman with a white hat appeared. She dusted her ankles off as she shuffled forward, plucking some stray leaves that clung to her woolen socks off like Oscar had earlier. She had silvery hair that hung straight down her back with a greenish tint. As she approached, Oscar noticed she carried a weapon that looked a lot like the cane he had been gifted. She stopped a few feet before Ozpin, and placed a hand on her hip as she glared at them.

“Ah, Miss Myrtle Green. I’m happy to see you already picked up one of the relics.”

Oscar noticed she was holding a small chess piece in her hand that was resting on her hip.

She frowned, “Yes. And I was on my way back to Beacon cliff until one of the other professors stopped me. What is it?”

“Oh, I was just wondering why you did not help young Oscar here during the initiation.”

“Was I supposed to? The mission was just to get the relic and return. It said nothing about helping one another.”

“Yes, but our cameras around the forest show that you were following and watching him this entire time. You were close enough at points that even some of the Grimm noticed you, but you seemed to deliberately direct their attention back to Oscar. I’m just concerned about why you would do that to your new teammate. Were you hazing him perhaps?”

“I was just trying to see his combat skill. It’s obvious he has none if you had to step in. And, he’s not my teammate.”  
  


“Didn’t you make eye contact before? When he first was chased by that ursa? I believe he saw a glimpse of you when you were hiding in the bushes?”

Oscar squinted and realized her eyes were a dark blue-green, and it was then that it clicked in his mind he had seen something amongst the foliage as he was running away. In his panic to survive though, he didn’t have time to stop and investigate.

“Now that you mention it, I think I did see her earlier-”

“-No. We haven’t made eye contact until now.”

“Well then,” Ozpin smiled, “Since neither of you have a partner yet, and everyone else you made eye contact with was already paired up, then this moment counts towards your two’s first meeting, would it not?”

Ozpin clapped his hands together, but Oscar watched Myrtle’s face sour as she whispered out, _“Shit. He got me with that.”_

“Thank you, Miss Green, since you already selected a relic you may return to the cliffs. Mr. Pine will be along later to meet you,” the woman stalked off as soon as she was able to, and Ozpin turned back to Oscar with a kind smile still on his face, “Now, Oscar, I believe it’s time for you to select a relic too. Unless, you were thinking of dropping out?”

Something in Oscar’s chest twisted at the way he spoke. It was an innocent question, but Ozpin didn’t need to voice any phrases of manipulation to make Oscar understand what he was thinking. He had just been given a partner. If he left, then he would be leaving one person without a partner- _no matter how much they obviously didn’t want him, there must be some reason the school required students to be paired up-_ and a team short a member. But, there was something else nagging at Oscar still.

He hesitantly stepped forward, one hand folded against his chest, “You still want me here? Even though I can’t fight?”

“Why Oscar, of course I still want you here. You are a student of mine now, unless you choose to leave of course, and it is my job to teach you. As we mentioned before, we are aware of your inexperience, and are factoring that into account. I fault you in no way for not being able to use your weapon properly on the first try.”

Ozpin started to walk towards the temple, but Oscar still hesitated. He shifted his feet forward in the grass, and his voice came out shaky as his mind was overloaded with memories of how he almost died several times today.

“But, during your speech- you said that we were all just wasted energy. What if I end up being a bigger waste of your time because I can’t improve? What if I just drag everyone else down?”

Ozpin paused, and Oscar watched his shoulders rise and fall as he weighed what he was going to say. When he turned though, it was that same small smile gracing his wise features.

“I believe I also told you that it was up to you to take the first step. All of those are excellent what-if questions, Oscar, and we can stand here hashing out countless scenarios until we both age away to dust. However, if you want to see just what it is that I saw in you, it will require you to act to see it yourself.

“Come along now, unless you want to be picked off by another Grimm lurking nearby.”

Oscar was stunned out of his haze at those words, and found himself hurrying forward.

“W-wait for me!” He reached out after Ozpin, following him up the few steps of the temple onto the circular stone platform.

Ozpin glanced around at the different pillars, “A pity. Seems only the white pawn remains. I believe that is the same piece Miss Green chose. Had you not become partners, you would have ended up one of her teammates either way.”

Oscar picked up the tiny wooden chess piece, and weighed it in his hand. He stuffed it in his pocket and hurried to follow after Ozpin, who was already walking away.

Together they walked through the long clearing as the forest began to dwindle and be replaced by more ancient architecture. In the distance, sounds of gunshots and fighting grew louder, but Ozpin remained unbothered, and continued ahead. Eventually, they reached the edge of the grass, coming to a stop before a chasm that had giant, mossy stone columns and rafters rising out of it.

Oscar glanced up from where he had been watching Ozpin’s heels as they came to a stop. His eyes traced the sky just in time to hear all the gunshots stop, and watched as massive black glyph formed in between two of the columns, a few hundred feet away across the chasm in the center of some rock remains.

Even from far away, a flash of red covered his vision, and he watched a girl soar through the sky.

Her scythe struck the Nevermore’s neck, and as more glyphs appeared up the side of the cliff, she tore up it wildly, surging towards the top as rose petals exploded in the air and drifted on the wind towards them. Oscar watched as the black wings of the Nevermore separated at last from the muddy color of the cliffs, exploding into the gray sky as it finally was dragged up over the cliff’s edge.

Then there was red as the girl flipped over the head of the bird and soared through the sky, her mighty scythe cutting through the air, and then _more_ red exploded as the beast’s neck was split in two.

And then, black dust covered the red petals, and the girl landed, her red cape disappearing behind her as the black streak of her uniform stood at the top of the cliff, looking down at the several people mingling within the ruins.

“That,” Professor Ozpin said as he pointed to the girl atop the cliff, “Is the other young enrollment. Miss Ruby Rose. I suspect we will be hearing a lot from her this year.”

Ozpin was looking at Oscar from over his glasses again, and even though he said nothing more, Oscar felt the thoughts pierce his soul with such intensity, he thought he might faint. It was as if there were two Ozpins before him, one with the kind smile that spoke reassurances, and the other that burned dormant behind the eyes. Oscar swallowed as he felt the words Ozpin’s mouth and eyes did not say.

_What can **we** expect to hear from **you**?_

* * *

Oscar clapped his hands in unison with the other hundreds of Beacon students who were sitting in the auditorium to witness the freshman team naming ceremony. It seemed that all of the new students had caught on after the first two announcements that those with the same relics were paired together. Those who were already partners were grouping with their other pair and waited for their moment to walk on stage together. Oscar was standing alone towards the back of the freshmen, trying to ignore the sheer number of upperclassmen watching from the upper levels and staring down at the next generation. Myrtle was also hanging back behind the rest of the students, but she was standing far away from Oscar to the other side of the auditorium, so he didn’t dare make an effort to approach her.

“...Copper Smith, Alizarin Bloom, Myrtle Green, and Oscar Pine-”

Oscar began walking when he saw Myrtle take the first step. She started moving after the first name was called, and must have seen who got the matching pieces.

Oscar stepped up beside his partner and tried not to collapse under the glaring light and the stares. It was obvious he was much younger than everyone else. He glanced away from the crowd and instead watched the faces of his teammates appear on the screen. He quickly identified the other half of the team as the two that had saved him from the ursa.

_So Copper was the man who healed me… Alizarin is the one with the red hair..._

“The four of you retrieved the white pawn pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team CAMO, led by Copper Smith.”

_Well,_ Oscar thought, _that’s to be expected._ He was somewhat relieved and also disappointed he was not labeled the leader. Not that he would have wanted it, but when he looked at the placement of their names, he was dead last, and he wasn’t sure if that correlated to his usefulness on the team.

Everyone began to move off the platform as Ozpin started to call up the next group. Oscar tripped on his way off the stage, but Myrtle roughly grabbed the back of Oscar’s shirt and hauled him off stage before he could fall on his face. She shoved him into line behind the rest of their team and stood in front of him with a scowl.

Oscar shrunk back and tried to watch the remaining few students in the small gap between Alizarin and Copper’s bodies as they whispered to one another. A few more teams went up then, and Oscar spotted the girl he had met on the airship being grouped as a part of team JNPR. Surprisingly, she was not made the leader. Then, the final one was announced- and _they_ were the ones to catch Oscar’s eye. The girl he had seen kill the Nevermore, the one who was one of the younger entries. She stepped up alongside four other girls, one of the only non-coed teams he had seen announced today. They all stood proudly side by side, almost cohesive enough to have been a team for a long time, if Oscar hadn’t known any better.

“...Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose,” Ozpin announced, and the dark haired girl smiled. Oscar felt his heart drop.

_She was more experienced, she wasn’t like him. There was no reason he should be feeling this way. After all-_

Oscar couldn’t help the slight sting of disappointment that even though he knew he was completely unqualified to be a leader, the other person closest in age to him _was._

* * *

Room assignments were… weird.

Classes were… weird.

Being a part of a team when he was obviously so much weaker was _weird._

And Oscar hated every part of it.

They had only settled into their dorms for one night but Oscar was already feeling out of place amongst his team. Alizarin and Copper had just met, but they were already very close, and Myrtle was just flat out ignoring Oscar’s existence and sitting on her bed and she scowled at her scroll.

All students without a scroll of their own were issued a school standard one, already loaded with their schedule and teammates contact information. Oscar had gone to receive one, and was surprised to see Myrtle was also there to pick one up, but didn’t get time to question why. She stormed off and away from him before he could get a good look at her face, and Oscar was too surprised by the sudden transfer of Lien that popped up on his scroll. After that, Oscar had to hurry over to a different line to receive his uniform, and then he was chasing after Myrtle as he tried not to get lost on his way back to their dorm.

When they got back, Copper seemed the most welcoming, quickly asking Oscar what classes he had so they could compare, but of course, because Oscar was a strange case, he was in very few classes with his actual team. He would have to wake up earlier than the rest of his team on some mornings just from the sheer number of remedial courses Professor Goodwitch had stuffed into his schedule.

Oscar scanned over the screen with anxiety slowly building in his chest. _Could he really keep up with all this work? Was he really behind that he needed to catch up by this much? He knew he hadn’t done great on that exam, but he hadn’t done **that** bad, did he?_

“Hey, looks like you and Myrtle are both enrolled in that advanced Remnant history course. Did you both specifically select that one?” Alizarin asked, looking up from Myrtle’s scroll towards Oscar.

“Huh? No, I didn’t request anything…” He mumbled.

“Wonder why you two got put in that course then. Well, if you’re both the studious type, I guess it makes sense,” Copper said, flopping back against his bed, “Being a warrior isn’t all about muscle after all. Still, maybe they’re just cycling the courses the teams take around? I’m sure that I’ll have to take more history courses like that besides just pure combat. Maybe they want to keep it balanced by having some learn more academics and others learn more fighting, then in a year or so they swap us and we help each other?”

“It sounds like a good idea, but I think Oscar still needs more combat experience,” Alizarin said, “You seemed like you didn’t even know how to use your weapon during initiation. What does it do exactly?”

Oscar shied away under their gaze, his fingers gently brushing over the silver end of the retracted cane.

“I actually… don’t know. I didn’t enroll here the same way as the rest of you, I was _selected_ for some reason. The headmaster assigned me this weapon temporarily, until I craft something of my own, I guess.”

Copper sat up suddenly, “Wait, dude, that’s actually really cool.”

“It… is?”

“Yeah! You didn’t have to go through years of school like the rest of us to get here, or a dumb training exam! If you were hand picked, that must mean you’re one of the best out of all of us! That’s why they put you in that smart class.”

“If that’s the case, maybe they don’t want you to focus on combat for a reason. They probably have some alternative plan for you,” Alizarin added.

“Yeah, maybe they’re only making me the leader temporarily, but in a few years they’ll switch it up so you’re the real brains of the operation,” Copper laughed, “They made that other younger student a leader today, right? It could happen-”

“He still needs combat if he’s going to get anywhere,” Myrtle suddenly stood up, gripping her scroll tight in her hand, “He shouldn’t be at this school if he’s that inexperienced. He’s only going to die.”

“Yo, Myrtle, what are you-” Copper reached out, but the girl was already slamming the door closed as she disappeared. Oscar watched her leave with that cold, frustration in her eyes as she breezed past him. Alizarin looked just as confused. Oscar flinched when he felt Copper’s heavy hand resting on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about her, as team leader, I’ll figure out what’s wrong.”

“Already embracing the title?” Oscar smiled nervously.

“She’s probably just on edge because of initiation earlier. It made everyone a bit frazzled,” Alizarin rolled over onto her bed and stretched.

“Yeah, but you don’t have that advanced class with her until late afternoon, right? Aliz and I will talk to her during our morning classes, see what’s up. Hopefully she’ll be more open to us after that.”

“Who knows, maybe she’s just uptight about fighting cause she’s also really bad at it. I mean, I heard no one saw her in the forest today…” Oscar tuned Copper’s voice out as he swiped through his scroll some more, staring down at the schedule again.

Except, things didn’t smooth over by the next day.

When Oscar finally got to see Myrtle near the end of a long first day of classes, she completely ignored him and sat on the other side of the lecture hall, even though the class was only made of three other students besides them. Oscar received a text from Copper a few minutes after Myrtle gave him the cold shoulder, a warning that came too late that Copper had forgotten to try and talk to her about things, which would have saved Oscar the embarrassment of yelling across the class to get her attention in a fruitless endeavor.

Things only became stranger when their professor walked into the room, and it was Ozpin.

“Welcome, new students,” he said, addressing the class as he hid his mouth behind a cup full of a mysterious drink, “Now, I am sure you are all curious why you have been placed in this class when you are only first year students. To begin, I would like to let you all know that the other students sitting around you today, are all _like you_.”

Oscar glanced towards Myrtle. _Wait, does that mean-_

“Although some of you may be more skilled than others, you are all the students I have hand selected to join Beacon without having to go through the typical entrance exam process. Those of you with less experience have been assigned a weapon of my choice that I think would suit your existing skill set. I hope, in due time though, no matter what walk you come from, you all come to enjoy your time here at Beacon, and one day craft your own weapon of choice to carry you on your path to becoming a huntsman or huntress.”

He adjusted his glasses, and set the mug down, “Now, onto the more pressing question. Why did I select all of you? Some of you may have met with one of my professors, others with me personally. I can only tell you this now- I have seen potential in you that I have not seen in others, and should you complete your time at this school successfully, I will have a great mission for you in the future.”

He paused and looked around the room. Oscar must have been imagining things, because he thought he felt the gaze linger on him for an extra second longer than the rest of the students.

“I do not wish to put too much pressure on you during your first day, but please know, that no matter what background you come from, what skills you may lack, _I_ have chosen you personally because I believe you can accomplish as many great things as the rest of students here, and if things going according to plan, and you do not waste that potential I see, then you should accomplish even _more_ great things. Now, before we can even get there, we must begin in the past. Let us begin with the dawn of Remnant.”

* * *

For all the flowery words that Professor Ozpin had given them during their history class, Oscar was feeling rather depressed at the end of his first day. He only had three classes in the afternoon, history, a group training exercise last, and in between a remedial combat course. Oscar had expected the remedial one to be demeaning and rife with lectures, even if he was inexperienced, but he was surprised when Ozpin appeared again and personally instructed each student by going around and corrected basic things like their stance to how they held their weapons. Not everyone who had been in the advanced Remnant history course was in the combat course, but everyone in the combat class was someone Oscar had seen in the history course, meaning each was someone the headmaster had hand selected for this special “mission”.

Oscar tried his best not to be distracted by Myrtle’s presence in the combat course too. She didn’t seem like the type to need the basic instructions, as she was handling her staff just fine, but she did seem to have an unusually uncomplicated weapon like the rest of the group. The staff Oscar had been gifted was only decorated by simple gears that he had yet to unlock all the mysteries of, and Ozpin refused to explain, but did enough to expand and retract it. The other students all had similar poles or staff like weapons with little in the way of blades or guns or cannon launchers, and all had some gear-like device in the design. Myrtle’s didn’t have any.

“Admiring the variety?” Ozpin appeared suddenly, making Oscar nearly jump a foot in the air. He straightened the cane in Oscar’s grip and ran his fingers along the gears inside the handle momentarily, “Don’t worry. You’ll unlock them in due time. The others may grow frustrated though and make edits to their weapons sooner.”

_Am I exempt from that?_ Oscar wanted to ask, but instead was caught stuttering as he looked to Myrtle again. She was practicing a sequence of overhead strikes with a solemn, silent expression, “I was just wondering why she was here. She seems already so skilled.”

Ozpin narrowed his eyes and then slid his hand off the cane, walking languidly across the room.

_Crap, did I call her out?! She’s going to hate me even more now!  
  
_

“Miss Green,” Ozpin said once he was standing beside Myrtle, “While you are always welcome in any classroom in the pursuit of knowledge and I am happy to see you demonstrate your skills, I believe your schedule says you should be in dust mechanics level one right now?”

Myrtle stopped swinging and glared at Ozpin, before her eyes slid past him to land on Oscar.

“Why are you here?” Ozpin asked plainly. Some of the other students faltered in their swings as they turned to look at what was going on.

Myrtle reached her arm out and pointed directly at Oscar. He flinched even though she turned to staring Ozpin down instead of him, “I want to see how he fights.”

“Ah, but you will in due time! In fact, in your next class, you will all be able to demonstrate your abilities as a team-”

“I don’t mean _next period_ or with a group, I mean _now. Alone.”_

“And why is that?”

“Because, he doesn’t even have his semblance yet, he has no knowledge of how to activate his aura, and he’s completely unqualified to be here.”

Ozpin didn’t even seem taken aback, “Miss Green, may I remind you that this is a remedial course- none of your peers here have much experience in fighting and are all learning-”

“He shouldn’t be my team if he’s that unskilled. He’s going to get himself killed and drag the rest of us down with him! You saw how he was during initiation, he didn’t even go to combat school. Why is he here when-”

_“Miss Green,”_ Ozpin said sternly, tapping his cane against the floor harshly, “As I already said, _this is a remedial training course._ It is designed for students who are underperforming to improve so they can be on the same skill level as their teammates before going into regular courses next semester. There is a reason that students like _you_ are not enrolled in it, and why students like them are not enrolled in _your_ level of classes.”

She scowled and lowered her head, “He shouldn’t be here if he’s that inexperienced-”

“Miss Green, if I recall correctly, during initiation you hid in the bushes the entire time and did not challenge a single Grimm? I also believe I heard Professor Goodwitch report that one time a Grimm did notice you that you misled it so it chased Mr. Pine instead?”

A smear of red bloomed across her face as her shoulders began to shake with rage. She threw her staff against the ground, spun around on her heel and stormed out of the room before the staff even finished rolling and settled. Ozpin leaned over to pick it up, and wordlessly, went back to observing the rest of the students.

When class ended, Oscar was called over to Ozpin’s desk.

“Is there something I did wrong, sir?”

“No, not at all, Oscar. I was wondering if you would be willing to deliver Miss Green’s weapon back to her? You do have another class with her next, correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Oscar reached out and took the long wooden staff in hand, a bit surprised by its weight, but quickly moved it to his side before he could accidentally drop it on the desk and break the headmaster’s mug. Oscar didn’t turn to leave right away though, as Ozpin seemed to be eyeing him curiously, and he didn’t want to be rude and just run out of the room, even if the rest of the students have already cleared out.

_That wasn’t just it though. Oscar was waiting for something. Secretly, he hoped that maybe-_

“Is something bothering you, Oscar?”

“No, not at all,” he said as he began to back up and hurry towards the door, “I’ll deliver this to her. Thank you for the instruction today.”

“You can come talk to me about anything at any time,” Ozpin said, just as Oscar started to step through the threshold.

“I’ll… keep that in mind. Thank you, sir.”

_Deep down, he wanted Professor Ozpin to tell him that Myrtle had been wrong._

* * *

_What am I doing?_ Oscar sighed as he rubbed his sore shoulder and walked through the empty hall. _He said I could talk to him about anything but, surely after one day he would be in his office already-_

“Oscar? Did you need something?”

The boy jumped a foot in the air and came back to reality when he realized he had strolled into the classroom without announcing himself. _You idiot, what if there had been another class going on? You’ve already embarrassed yourself enough on the first day-_

“Oscar?”

“Oh! Yes?”

Ozpin leveled his gaze at the boy from behind his glasses. He was holding his arm and swaying in the middle of the opened doorway. He looked pale and nervous, his eyes glazed over as if he kept slipping away, as if he wasn’t really here.

Ozpin knew that feeling all too well.

“Are you going to come in? You had something to speak with me about, didn’t you?”

“Oh… I don’t want to waste your time-”

He fidgeted and looked towards the floor. Ozpin glanced at the watch on his wrist.

“It’s nothing important-”

“Must have been important enough for you to run out of class ten minutes early on your first day. Now, come in, come in.”

The boy shuffled inside the room, holding his hand over his arm. As he got closer, Ozpin saw there was a handkerchief pressed against the skin, and it was sporting a dull, red stain.

“Oscar, did you get hurt? Why didn’t you go to the nurse’s office?”

Despite his words, Ozpin continued to coax the boy forward. Oscar hung his head and his fingers tightened over the cloth, and he winced. Ozpin reached out, and gently pried his fingers off, pulling back the cloth to reveal the deep scratch that was on his arm.

“I… didn’t know the way.”

“Well, you could have used your scroll. The student handbook comes with a map. Certainly you have been using it to get around today, haven’t you?”

The boy was silent.

“Oscar? Will you tell me what’s really wrong?”

Still nothing.

“You know, it would only take me a second to see the check in list on the nurse’s office.”

His whole body sighed, “I just… I didn’t want to have to sit in a closed room with her. We were walking in the hall together but… she made it kind of clear she didn’t want to spend another minute with me.”

“Is it safe for me to surmise that this ‘ _her’_ you speak of is your teammate? Miss Green?”

Oscar nodded, “We were doing a team exercise, sparring similarly to what we did in your class, but two on two. Myrtle and Copper versus Alizarin and I. Copper and Alizarin aren’t a problem, mostly because they go easy on me. I think they know it wouldn’t do any good to attack me because I would get knocked out right away. But, Myrtle seems to really dislike me. She kept… coming after me, only me. Alizarin tried to defend me, and then Copper when we swapped partners again. But, when it was her and I on the same team again, she lunged at me.”

“She attacked you when you were supposed to be working together?”

“Yes. I may sound self-centered for saying this, but I don’t think it was an accident.”

“Oh, how so?”

“It was before the timer even started. She walked over to stand beside me and then after I looked at her, she lunged at me. Her staff, she had modified it slightly in between battles, I guess. It was sharper at one end. She just cut across my arm with it.”

Ozpin was listening as he moved about the classroom, searching through the file cabinets for a first-aid kit, “And why was she going to nurse as well? Surely she wasn’t meant to only accompany you? Was she being sent my way for disciplinary action?”

“No, um… Well I guess you’ve figured it out but she got injured too. I fought back, kind of.”

“Well, I’ve yet to receive any sort of message from your professor about the incident, but I do believe you Oscar. I don’t think it was in any way self-centered for you to claim she would deliberately attack you, although I will have to talk to her for the other side of the story, but based on the actions in our earlier class together, I would believe you.”

Ozpin pulled out some disinfectant and a roll of bandages. He motioned for Oscar to hold his arm out, and gently, he began to clean the injury.

“You’re… not mad at me for fighting back?”

“At a school for combat? Hardly. Although at that point you two were supposed to be partners, so it is a bit concerning if she is that intent on not getting along with you.”

“I don’t know what I did to upset her. We just met yesterday…”

“Well, I am certain you are not the only one having team building issues on the first day. Here, walk with me. We should get to the nurse’s anyway, if I am to speak with Miss Green.”

Ozpin finished wrapping and tied the bandages off, and then neatly tucked everything back into the kit. Oscar followed him back into the tall, vaulted hallway. The walls of gray were turned into a light silver as the sun poured in through the windows along their path. As Oscar trailed behind the headmaster’s back, he couldn’t help but notice how the man’s grayed hair and dark suit blended in perfectly with the interior of the school. With his green ascot hidden, it looked as if Oscar was staring into a black and white photo.

“So, how badly was Miss Green injured when you fought back?”

“Bad enough to break her aura. Or at least, it was depleted enough to begin with that when I attacked her, her mouth got busted up.”

“Fought back, Oscar, not attacked. I may not have been there, but I know it was not a fair enough fight for you to be considered at fault. I have enough faith that you don’t act like a savage outside of my classroom.”

Oscar stopped walking. Ozpin turned around.

“It’s only one day…” the boy said, his shoulders shaking a bit, “How can you trust me so much?”

Ozpin opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, he was cut off by shouting down the hall to their left.

_“What happened to all the talk about working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team!”_

_“Not a team led by_ you. _I’ve studied, and trained, and quite frankly… I deserve better... Ozpin made a mistake.”_

The sound of heels clicking along the floor faded further down the hall, and Ozpin mouthed _one moment please,_ before turning the corner and leaving Oscar alone. After Oscar processed what happened, he ran to catch up, peeking around the corner to spot whom Ozpin was talking with.

_It was the other young student._

Oscar quickly ducked back behind the wall. He didn’t want to interrupt their conversation by being seen, so he put his back to the wall and was quiet. He didn’t want to eavesdrop, but there wasn’t much to look at in the hallways, so he just decided to wait it out.

_“Hm.. now that didn't seem to go very well.”_

_“Is she right? Did you make a mistake?”_

The girl’s voice sounded so sad. Oscar would not have thought the girl he had seen fly up towards the sky and kill a Nevermore capable of sounding that… weak. Ozpin didn’t seem phased by it though, because he confidently said with a smile-

_“That remains to be seen.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“I mean it’s only been one day.”_

Ozpin’s smile fell as he considered his next words. He didn’t need the help of his other half to say this line, as the memories were his own now. Still, it hurt all the same, even after all these years, and as his mouth moved, behind his eyes he still saw the lives of hundreds being taken because of _him._

“Ruby, I’ve made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet. But,at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them,” he leaned in then, staring into her silver eyes with one final question, “Do you?”

Although Oscar was certain those words were the encouragement the girl needed, for Oscar, they caused a sour feeling to swell in his chest. He hugged himself, and his nails dug through the sleeves of his combat uniform so they stabbed his skin. _It wasn’t even a combat uniform, like everyone else had, it was just his normal farm clothes, sturdy but worn down from constant wear and work. Ozpin didn’t make a mistake in assigning Ruby as leader, so he didn’t make a mistake in assigning Copper as a leader._ To Oscar, that meant that his placement, at the bottom of his team, was not a mistake either.

Copper had joked that maybe Oscar would usurp him in their final years and be the real team leader. Although Oscar had known that was unlikely, a small part of him must have believed in the possibility for him to feel this crushed….

“Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle. It's a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?”

Ozpin could see the thoughts building behind the girl’s eyes. That was good, she was actually listening to his advice. To finish it off, he added, “You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I’d advise you to take some time to think about how you will uphold it.”

And that did the trick. Her body already in motion, she quietly nodded, and walked off. She was an extroverted individual, so to see her so silent should have been unnerving. But, Ozpin had observed many types of people over his course of walking humanity. His words had been genuine, more genuine and honest than he had to give adults when they came to him for advice. She was just a child, and she had questions. He was happy to answer them, but more of his joy came from seeing a child actually process the information and take it in without their heart or head cutting off any other possibility.

Ruby was a good huntress. She was a good child. While he was still uncertain about his plans for her, he knew she would grow into someone great. He could see it in her soul.

As she disappeared down the corridor, Ozpin turned back around the corner.

“Oscar?”

_Oh dear._

The boy flinched when his name was said, and Ozpin could see a storm of emotion twisting behind his face.

“I apologize for making you wait. Is there something the matter?”

The boy shook his head, his arms falling to his sides as he pushed off the wall and turned to face him. His eyes were cast down though, something dark swirling behind them.

“No sir.”

Ozpin sighed. It was understandable for Oscar to have doubts, but hopefully, if he had been listening to what was just said, the statement he would take the most to heart was that there was still _time._ He tapped his cane on the floor, and then turned around to continue walking down the hall.

“Chin up, Oscar. It is only the first day. Let us get to the infirmary to meet with Miss Green, now. Shall we?”

Oscar tried holding the door open for the headmaster, but Ozpin merely smiled and grabbed the edge of the door above Oscar’s head, ushering him into the room first. Nervously ducking inside, Ozpin strode behind him and greeted the nurse, asking her for a moment alone so he could speak with the students. Once she was gone, Ozpin looked to the girl who was sitting hunched over in one of the wooden chairs, a bag of ice pressed to her jaw and lip as she glared up at him.

“Oscar, if you wouldn’t mind sitting down as well,” Ozpin gestured to the chair next to Myrtle. The boy creeped over, but before he could sit down, Myrtle jerked her body away from him like she had been burned, looking at him with such a glare she might as well have been a cat hissing. Ozpin narrowed his eyes, and continued to hold his hand out towards the chair as he waited. Oscar hesitated, but sat down beside her, to which Myrtle just shrugged and turned back around, turning her face towards the corner.

“Miss Green, if you would please look at me while I speak to you.”

She glared at him with the most hateful look a child could muster. He smiled and rested his hands easily on his cane.

“Ah, that’s good. Now, I am not throwing any accusations around, but I think it is safe to assume the two of you are having trouble cooperating. Believe it or not, this is not the first time I’ve had two students so obstinate about working together. It is quite common on the first day for students to struggle in the new environment and new peers, especially when they will be living with them day in and day out. It is an adjustment.

“As such,” he cleared his throat, “I am not anymore concerned about the two of you than I am about any of the other students here. There will always be rough patches, and in order to successfully learn and grow here, you will need to learn to work past them. Therefore, I would like to know what issues the two of you are having. Miss Green, would you like to go first?”

The girl just continued to glare up at Ozpin. She truly had mastered the anger of a child, but at the end of the day, she was still just that. A child. Ozpin did not wither or flinch under her gaze. Instead, without turning away, he asked Oscar.

“What issues do you have with Miss Green, Mr. Pine?”

“Uh, well, I guess she seems to have some sort of vendetta against me? When we were in our rooms after initiation, she-”

_“I told you already,”_ she interrupted, “He shouldn’t be here.”

“And why is that?” Ozpin asked, unaffected.

“I told you already.”

“I would like you to repeat it.”

“Ugh, fine,” she practically growled, and Oscar shifted away from her, “He’s insanely underqualified, he doesn’t have aura or a semblance, can’t fight, and is just an annoying child. I shouldn’t be paired with him when-”

“Miss Green, if I were to give you the option to change your partner, who would you choose?”

Oscar’s blood ran cold. Was Ozpin actually giving in to Myrtle’s-

“Your weapon of choice is very old fashioned, but that is not a bad thing. I imagine you would want to be working with someone who understood your fighting style, maybe they could provide more defense or support through a ranged weapon. Or would you want someone with the same style of weapon as you, but had a semblance that complemented yours and allowed you both to make up for-”

“No one,” she stated, “I don’t want anyone to be my partner. I’m fine by myself.”

“Then, if I may ask this,” Ozpin stepped forward, and leaned in close to her face. Oscar watched as his face became very dark, not with anger, but with a twisted emotion he couldn’t place. If he had to call it anything, it was most like-

_“Why. Are. You. Here?”_

_Accusation._

Myrtle met his expression with even more hate and spite, Oscar almost though she would reach forward and try choking the man. He wouldn’t put it past her. Ozpin pulled back and stood up to his full height, looking down on her.

“Although I have faith that you will learn to resolve these issues over time, I will warn you. If you continue to show behavior like this and refuse to work with the rest of your team, I will not hesitate expelling you. There will be time when you are adults who work independently and go on solo missions, but right now, you are children. And children cannot do everything by themselves. I am only looking out for your best interests, Miss Green. I know you are capable of exceptional skill, just like Oscar here. If I didn’t believe that, then I would not have personally come to invite the two of you into my personalized program. Myrtle, do you recall what I said today during our history class?”

The girl sighed, but her features were more relaxed now. That strong anger had ebbed away, “You said that… you have a great mission for us in the future.”

“And what else? Oscar?”

“You also said… that whatever skills we lacked, you chose us because you believed in us. You saw in us something that others didn’t have.”

“Exactly. Those words applied to not only the _both_ of you, but everyone I have selected for the program. Now, classes are done for the day, so I will not keep you any longer. However, keep in mind I will be monitoring you if I hear of any future conflicts. This is not to say you must be friends, but you must learn to work with others. Even alone in the field, a huntsman must learn to work with people, townsfolk, and fauna, if they want to survive. You are dismissed.”

Myrtle immediately got up and stalked over to the door, her head bowed. Oscar nervously stood up, reaching for her abandoned staff, about to thank Professor Ozpin when he finally registered what was said-

_“Let’s go, Oscar,”_ Myrtle had whispered. He saw the ends of her white hair vanish out the doorway.

“R-right!” Too stunned to say anything else, he scooped up her weapon and ran out of the room after her. Ozpin watched them leave, the smile on his face fading as he watched Myrtle and Oscar disappear down the hall.

_For a moment, the anger in her face looked less like that of a child’s, and more like the bitter hatred of an adult._

* * *

About two weeks later, Oscar was back in Ozpin’s office. It was for another reason, this time.

Glynda stood behind the boy, who was seated and trying hard to not to sniffle despite the tears in his eyes and his broken, bloody nose. Ozpin offered him another tissue.

“He was sparring with Cardin Winchester, correct?” Ozpin asked Glynda.

“Yes.”

“Then I see no reason as to why Oscar is the one here to receive a lecture. Where is Cardin right now?”

“Back at the dorms. Sir, I thought we needed to have a discussion about Oscar’s… performance in class.”

Ozpin did not catch the way the boy flinched. With a sigh, Ozpin folded his hands on the desk and frowned, “Oscar, you are excused. Go to the nurse’s office and seek treatment. I assure you, I will have a word with Cardin soon.”

The two of them watched until the boy was behind the elevator doors and down a floor before launching into a heated argument.

“He shouldn’t be here!”  
  


“Glynda, not you too. We’ve been over this already. It will take time-”

“He has not unlocked his aura yet. It is impossible to train him to fight like this. Half of our students use bullets. It is unsafe for him to participate-”

“Then pair him up with students who don’t use ranged weapons!” His hand jumped off his temples for a moment as he emphasized his exasperation, “That was part of the reason why I calculated that he be paired with a team who worked entirely without the use of guns and instead were dependent on dust!”

“All the other students in your program have unlocked their semblances already. Even Jaune Arc, who I thought needed to be placed in the remedial courses, has his aura working at the very least. Oscar is quite literally at the bottom right now. I don’t think he should continue-”

“Glynda, I cannot rule him out just yet. If he were to leave here and something were to happen and I-”

“You have no proof that _any_ of your students here will be the next _you.”_

“I told you before, even if they aren’t-”

“We are wasting instructional time and energy on remedial help that could be given to our more exceptional students. If James or Leo were here-”

“There is a reason they aren’t made aware of this program, Glynda. And I hope you continue to remember why I have put more trust in _you_ above others.”

Instinctively, Glynda’s hand flew towards her shoulder. To any other person, she may have looked nervous, but Ozpin recognized her fingers itching towards the emblem on the back of her cape. The _crown._

After a moment, she sighed, “I’m not even certain he wants to be here anymore. Things with Miss Green have certainly calmed down, but they’re not working together any better, and he is dragging the rest of his team down. From what I’ve observed, besides Cardin, other students in his classes seem to be singling him out too.”

“All the more reason why he needs our support, as teachers. It is our job to teach the next generation.”

“Why didn’t you go to Haven?” Glynda whispered, and Ozpin cocked his head.

“Do you mean Oscar? As much as I have trusted Leo with certain things, I don’t think Oscar, even in just his training to be a huntsman, would have flourished well in that environment. The students from Haven are excellent, but they are always outdone by ours in the Vytal Festival. I’ve always been worried that Leo’s nervousness imprinted on the students-”

“I don’t mean that. I mean, why didn’t _you_ go to Haven and see the _lamp?”_

Ozpin froze.

“You could have asked _who_ it was going to be next, how far into the future. There were two questions left, right? So why didn’t you-”

“If I had spent all my energy and all my resources harnessing my power into a single student at this stage, it is all the more likely that Salem would have noticed and intervened, maybe even struck them down by now. I have not made a move towards the lamp or the other two relics in many, many years, and it is safer if I continue to not do so.”

“So, you strongly believe him to be the one, then? Is that why you are so adamant that we must keep him here?”

“It is not that I am certain, it is that I am afraid,” Ozpin smiled sadly, “Not of what if it will be him, but what Salem could do to a heart like his after being brought so low. _Again.”_

* * *

The crowds were blaring in Oscar’s ears, and he struggled to get up as his vision blacked out again. He could feel the crag dirt underneath his scragged cheek, the greens and blues of the artificial forest blurring together as he felt someone tug on his arm and hoist him up. Trying to stop his stomach from churning with the motion, he managed to catch the site of bright red hair. _Alizarin._

“Aliz…” He mumbled, coughing out some blood, “What happened?”

“They got us pretty badly, is all,” she shrugged, adjusting him so his arm was around her shoulders better, “Can you walk?”

“Y-yeah. So, we lost?”

“Yup,” she popped the ‘p’ exaggeratedly as she helped him take the first step forward, “They took you out first with that rocket launcher the girl had. Copper was dumb and used up all his aura way too fast by trying to melt the metal in the wreckage of the urban biome. Myrtle’s staff got burned up as a result.”

“And you?” He managed as they stepped out of the forest biome onto the center of the arena, “What happened with you?”

“Well, I was knocked out of the ring, but only because Myrtle banged into me and stole my great axe. I would’ve thought she had gone for Copper’s halberd since it's closer, but I guess he didn’t want to risk looking away for too long trying to reach for it.”

“That’s just like her,” he groaned.

“She actually did pretty good on her own. I’ll show you the replay lat… wait, what?”

Alizarin had stopped walking, and Oscar slowly lifted his head.

Alizarin gasped excitedly, “Myrtle? I could have sworn-!”

Oscar blinked twice in surprise. Copper was standing in the middle of the ring, and gave them a sheepish, but great big smile before turning to look towards the top of the urban biome’s wreckage. Although there was great evidence of Copper’s molten semblance having wreaked havoc (warped rock and metal poles frozen mid-melt like icicles), there was someone standing at the very top of the wreckage, clouds of red and black dust floated around her, and she stood wielding two weapons. One was Alizarin’s great axe, the other was Oscar’s cane.

Oscar looked towards the big screen, and saw the faces of the opposing team marked with red x’s. His and his teammates’ portraits were the same, but Myrtle’s was clear. Her aura was dangerously close to running out, but she was standing strong.

“I thought you said we lost?” Oscar asked.

“I thought we did! There was no way Myrtle could have taken on four people at once! Copper, did you see what happened?!”

Oscar almost collapsed to his knees again as Alizarin let go of him and ran forward, jumping the man and demanding all the details. The roar of the crowd suddenly became discernable, and Oscar picked up on the voices of Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port over the speakers.

_“Truly an incredible display of weapon mastery from Miss Myrtle Green!”_

_“Team CAMO will move on to the doubles round, and I think it’s safe to predict which of the teammates we will see there!”_

The cloud of dust finally cleared, and Myrtle turned and jumped down from the platform. Stepping over the bodies of the other team as they cursed and punched the ground in defeat, she walked towards the center of the arena towards the rest of her team. She dodged a slap on the back from Copper, and dropped Alizarin’s weapon at her feet. Although she had swung it around easily during the battle, it was rather heavy for one hand, and it tilted like a clock hand swinging from nine to three as it nearly pierced the tiles of the platform. She continued over towards Oscar, who was still thunderstruck looking at the screen.

Ozpin watched from his screen as Myrtle’s hand flexed around the handle of the cane. He narrowed his eyes as she eyed it over one more time.

“Hey,” was the only warning she gave before she chucked it into Oscar’s hands, “Thanks.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Your weapon helped me win. Would’ve gone faster if you hadn’t passed out deep in the middle of the forest though. Made it a pain to get.”

“Oh, sorry about that. But, good job,” Oscar smiled. He wasn’t sure exactly what to say. This was honestly the most positive interaction they had over two semesters, “Guess you’ll be moving on to the doubles round.”

“We both will,” she said blankly. Oscar looked at her confused.

* * *

_What had she been expecting?_

Oscar rubbed his face as he sat in the underground tunnel just outside the arena. The match had ended almost as soon as it had begun. The doubles rounds often were quicker than the team matches, less people to go through, but Myrtle had made it even _less._ Alizarin and Copper had shown up to meet them the moment they walked off the stage, and pulled Myrtle down the hall to speak to her. They had told Oscar to wait, and he tried to ignore the aching pain in his side from how hard he had bruised by Myrtle’s staff.

He probably should have been asking himself that question. _What had **he** been expecting?_

After the team matches, Copper and Alizarin were both debating who should move on to round two with Myrtle. Alizarin insisted she go because it was her weapon that helped Myrtle win, Copper said he was stronger, but he couldn’t win when Alizarin pointed out how fast he ran out of aura. Oscar didn’t even consider himself a part of the conversation, which is why it surprised everyone when Myrtle said-

“I won’t do it unless I’m with Oscar.”

She explained that Oscar’s weapon was easier to use than Alizarin’s, and she had won thanks to it, not either of them. She ignored any argument about Oscar’s lack of aura, how he had fallen first, and said she would not move on without him, and then even went so far as reverting back to her more vicious self and insulted the two by telling them neither of them would get passed the doubles round if they didn’t take her, and that even if they did, the crowd would be disappointed to not see _her_ in ring.

So, they submitted Oscar and Myrtle’s names to the bracket. And then Ozpin had called Oscar to his office an hour before their match. The boy went quickly, worried it was because of some objection to him participating, but as he exited the elevator and practically sprinted into the room, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

Ozpin had smiled at him.

_“I don’t think it would be any exaggeration at this moment to tell you that I am proud of how much you have grown.”_

Ozpin had assured him that even if he lost, he had done a great job coming this far since his first few days at the school. He had apologized for not meeting with him more often, as he had his hands full with other teams during the recent weeks. Oscar said he didn’t mind, but that he was thankful he had made time to see him before the match.

_“Being here… calms me, I guess.”_

And then Ozpin had asked to see his cane. He examined it briefly, before setting it on the desk. Then, he picked up his own cane from where it had been leaning against the desk, and held it out towards the boy.

_“Your weapon was modeled after my own, remember? They look and feel identical, although mine has some… enhancements. You don’t need to worry about that though. I was wondering if you would like to carry my weapon into the match today, as a badge of honor.”_

Oscar fisted his hands through his sweaty hair and tried not to cry when he looked at the cane beside him. It was resting on the floor of the tunnel, and hearing Ozpin’s words in his head as Alizarin and Copper screamed with Myrtle around the bend made his eyes sting.

They hadn’t lost.

But they wouldn’t be continuing to the next round.

Luckily, the audience didn’t seem too upset about what had happened. Either that, or they hadn’t been able to see it properly due to the chaos, dust, and smoke flying around. Doctor Oobleck was the one to make the announcement, calling the victory to their opponent, Team SSSN. They had been told privately, as soon as they exited the arena, what the real decision was.

When the battle had started, Myrtle had swiped Oscar’s cane from him, leaving him defenseless. A large explosion of dust had been set off by her throwing a red crystal onto the ground, followed by a golden one. Oscar had to fight through the smoke to try and dodge the trident and then the gunshots that were flying through the air. His leg was grazed, and then the electricity from the trident doubled with the dust in the air struck him as he fell, causing him to spasm and almost seize on the ground. And that wasn’t the end of it, as he was still regaining his bearings, Myrtle picked him up and used him almost as a human shield as she fought against the two. The audience might have seen it as the two of them moving in sync, but Oscar was near vomiting from the feeling of the electricity in his system, and Myrtle was just puppetting him as she danced around the battlefield.

Quickly though, as it became more like two versus one instead of two versus two, they got cornered, and that was when Oscar felt the blunt end of the cane press against his ribs, and he was falling off the side of the arena. For someone with aura, it probably wouldn’t have been a terrible fall, but for Oscar? He would have definitely broken a limb or snapped his neck and died depending on how he landed. It was a blessing then that his opponent, that blonde faunus man, had sent one of his clones out to catch him and set him down. He had used his semblance to literally save Oscar, whether he knew it or not.

Oscar smiled through the pain as he pressed his hand against the bruise in his side. He found some strange satisfaction feeling it flare up again. _It’s probably a good thing someone that nice makes it to the final round,_ he thought, starting to shut his eyes.

“Oscar,” he sat up. Alizarin was standing there, “We’ve got to go. I’ll take you to the nurse’s station.”

“Where’s Copper? And Myrtle?”

“Myrtle stormed off. Copper went to… find her. I would recommend giving them both time to cool off. They both kind of screamed it out.”

Oscar was mostly silent as they walked, but when they finally got out of the noise of the arena into one of the backrooms under the stage where the medical teams were set up, he found himself mumbling.

“You and Copper should have gone to the doubles round. Myrtle and I are still too unstable of a pair.”

“You’re not unstable. You’re not even a pair. That match was all her fault. She shouldn’t have thrown you around like that.”

“I don’t know about that. I was deadweight to begin with.”

Alizarin didn’t confirm or deny that, instead, she just said, “Copper’s feeling really bad about what happened. Myrtle said some things about his leadership and he was really distressed. It was him who called for our team to withdraw.”

She helped him onto one of the waiting room benches, but Oscar stopped her from pulling away by grabbing her sleeve.

“What do you mean?”

“We saw what she was doing to you and knew it wasn’t right. Copper ran to the officials and said that we were withdrawing, going so far as to tell them to disqualify us. They sent the message straight to Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port I guess.”

There was the sound of a door sliding open, so Alizarin patted Oscar on the arm and started back down the hall.

“Don’t feel too bad. It’s nothing on you, it’s Myrtle’s fault. If anything, we should have been stronger about not letting her fight to begin with. They really should have disqualified us back in the team match for her using multiple weapons.”

* * *

The sun was setting when Oscar finally made his way to the tower, going to meet Ozpin who he had received a summons from. He had not gone back to the dorms, and he had been avoiding anywhere on campus where he might have run into the rest of his team. The medics had taken their time checking over Oscar, not only wrapping his injuries but running through some tests to make sure his heart was normal after the electric shock he took.

He tried to ignore their glances when he told them he didn’t have any aura to begin with. The displays during the matches had been specially fixed by Ozpin and the others to show his aura dropping steadily throughout the match, to not draw alarm by the other opponents or the audience. In retrospect, it was a very stupid move of them to do, as Oscar probably shouldn’t have been allowed to participate in the tournament to begin with, but they didn’t want to deprive his team of the chance. They probably didn’t think he would be making it to the doubles round. They probably didn’t think he would have lasted long at all.

The elevator opened and Oscar stepped inside. It was always a long ride up to Ozpin’s office, giving him time to think and compose himself. Usually, Oscar felt nervous each time he had to meet with the man, although he had spoken to him numerous times throughout the past two semesters, in and outside of class. His nervousness had changed with the times from bad anxiety into good, excited nervousness when he received his report back on the history of humanity and Ozpin had nothing but compliments to give him. He was happy when he was told he wouldn’t need to do any remedial classes in the second semester, and could move into more combat based classes with the rest of his team.

He was happy when he left the dorms with his team in the morning. He was happy when he ate lunch with them. He was embarrassed, but still happy when Copper and Alizarin dragged him onto the dancefloor during the ball. He was happy when he walked the halls and someone called his name, and he made a new friend at last with someone in his class. He was happy when he saw Ozpin watching him, and the man smiled knowingly at how life was improving. He was happy, he was happy, he was happy-

The elevator dinged, and Oscar stepped out onto the floor of the office. Ozpin was waiting behind his desk. He looked at the boy behind his small, black glasses.

Ozpin didn’t say anything. Oscar held out the cane.

“I… Imagine you want this back.”

He walked forward and gently deposited it on the desk. Ozpin silently took it, and tucked it underneath. He placed Oscar’s old cane back onto the desk, to which the boy took it and tucked it behind him on his belt. Neither one of them spoke for another moment.

Then, Ozpin took a breath.

“I have… received the documents from the arena medics who cared for you. I am thankful there was not any serious damage from what happened. Although, I imagine you must still be feeling the effects of it.”

Oscar smiled the smallest bit, “They gave me some painkillers. I’m sure I’ll be fine in a few days. Unless Myrtle tries anything else.”

Ozpin’s face fell, “Unfortunately, Myrtle will no longer be attending school here.”

“What?” Oscar looked up with shock.

“I told her on day one, if she showed repetitive behavior of singling you out and refusing to work as a team, she would be expelled. She has been behaving rather well these few months, but, I cannot excuse what happened today in the arena. She directly endangered you in an effort to win. I also received an email from Alizarin with an audio recording of an argument I presume happened after the match. Although it is technically illegal to record someone without their permission, I consider the things she said in that recording to be indicative of her attitude towards teamwork and her teammates. As such, she has already been informed of her expulsion. After the Vytal Festival, she will be returning home.”

“...Why…?”

“Why what, Oscar?”

“Why is she being expelled?”

Ozpin looked confused, “I just told you, she has displayed continuous behavior that is counterintuitive to-”

“No, I mean… why not me? Why is she being expelled and not me?”

“Why, Oscar, you have not done anything wrong-”

“Why do you keep giving me special treatment…?” Oscar’s voice warbled with tears, “Why do you keep giving me a pass even though I continuously fail?”

“Oscar, you have not failed in your time here-”  
  


“But I have! I can’t activate my aura at all! I can barely fight! I weigh down the rest of my team! I couldn’t even go on a mission with everyone else this semester! I got knocked out immediately during the festival, and my teammate thinks I’m better suited as a shield than a fighter! I’ve done nothing here to warrant me being able to be a huntsman!”

Ozpin was silent. Oscar hung his head, and his hand fisted tightly in the fabric of his shirt, right over his heart.

“Why did you select me, sir?”

Ozpin still did not answer.

“Why did you see in me? You spoke of all this potential… Of having a special task only one of us could accomplish when we graduated. Why did you say all that? Why did you get my hopes up…?”

“Oscar, I-”

_“Tell me what you saw in me! Tell me why you brought me here!”_ Oscar screamed at the headmaster, tears streaming down his face as his chest seized up and he hiccuped, his ribs shouting in pain from his short breaths, “I don’t understand! Why expel Myrtle? She’s obviously so much more exceptional than I am! Expel me, kick me out already! I’m doing nothing good by being here!”

Ozpin sighed, and folded his hands in front of him.

“I… I cannot tell you why I brought you here, Oscar. And it pains me to see that because of my inability, you feel this way. However, if I can just urge you that if you stay at Beacon, by the end of your time here-”

“I’m leaving.”

Ozpin stared at Oscar with disbelief as the boy’s face morphed into bitterness.

“I thank you for everything, but I’m leaving. Myrtle can stay. I’m not going to ruin the efforts of my teammates when they’ve been trying so hard and I can give them nothing. If you let Myrtle stay, I’m certain she will only get stronger and more powerful, and even if she works alone, she will be the one to take on that mission someday.”

“None of the transportation is running outside of Vale during the Vytal Festival. You will have to wait two days. The finals are tonight, and then the after ceremony.”

“Then I’ll do that. I’ll stay in my dorm and out of everyone’s way. I have to pack and return some books and things anyway.”

And with that, Oscar turned and stormed out of the office. After a few minutes, Ozpin stood up and walked to the window behind him. He watched as the boy’s walk turned into a run as he sprinted across the courtyard, running towards the dorms as the sun fell behind the forest and mountains to the north.

* * *

_There was blood everywhere._

Oscar pushed himself off the concrete and stood up on his shaking legs, glaring up with rage at the figure watching from the roof of Beacon’s entranceway. The statue was broken, and students were running in the chaos as Grimm tore through the grounds. There was screaming behind him, ringing in his ears as Copper clutched his leg, the enamel of a Grimm tusk slowing being stained red as he bled out. Alizarin was beside him, trying to stay the bleeding with her blazer before she planned on scooping him up and running for the airships.

Oscar looked to the figure, his fingers flexing around nothing as he stared at the stolen cane in the figure’s grasp.

The wind blew through the courtyard, white hair rustled like bird feathers against the gray stormy sky. She stared down at him, her thin frame somehow grand and impassive standing above him. Her eyes were filled with the same hatred she had always regarded him with, and Oscar wished he could have seen anything else in them, any emotion, anything to signify why she would side with-

She turned, and started to walk away.

Oscar gripped his bleeding arm and screamed.

**_“Myrtle!”_ **

* * *

The ground crunched beneath his feet as he walked along the familiar rust-colored path.

The leaves from the early days of fall had long since scattered and crumbled to become one with earth. Little pieces remained though, and they turned into further dust under Oscar’s old worn farm boots.

Not his uniform shoes. His boots.

He had forgone his dress shoes at the last train station, having worn them for over a month as he traveled from airship to airship. The Atlas military had been working together strongly with Haven and Shade Academy to return students and civilians to their homes, but their transportation and troops were run ragged, and the Atlesian ones had started forcing people off the Atlas airship Oscar was on and left them stranded in cities or train stations. Oscar had gotten off willingly once he was on Anima, before he could be rudely shoved off.

He had seen a boy sitting alone in the station, a little bit younger than him but he had no shoes, and must have been without for quite some time, as his socks were worn through and full of holes. Oscar switched to his boots and gave the boy his uniform shoes before he could protest, and then disappeared with a wave towards the departing train.

The trees surrounding the path to his home had lost almost all their leaves. It was nothing like the forest of Forever Fall, which was always a bright red. He fondly remembered how Alizarin had reacted the first time she stepped inside the foliage. Copper had made fun of her for that, saying something like-

_“Just because your parents named you red doesn’t mean you have to make it your whole personality.”_

Oscar laughed quietly to himself when he remembered how Alizarin had struck him over the head with the blunt side of her axe, and how their leader had whined about it all day. Even Myrtle had smirked at the sight-

_Alizarin’s hands stained in blood. Copper crying out. Myrtle disappearing with the-_

“Oscar?”

The boy looked up, realizing his feet had continued to carry him all the way to the entrance of the farm. Aunt Em was standing in the middle of the field, surrounded by a flock of sheep. Oscar’s breath stuttered as he let out a gasp as he finally thought _I made it._ Aunt Em’s hand flew to her mouth and then she was sprinting, running forward as she screamed for Henry-

“Henry! Oscar’s home! Oscar’s-”

She was cut off when Oscar slammed into her, his arms wrapping around her tightly as he tucked his face into her shoulder. A barn door slammed open and footsteps came pounding toward them, another force slamming into them and Oscar was overwhelmed by the familiar scent of pine, of hay and of _home._

Uncle Henry’s scruffy beard scratched against Oscar’s forehead as his bangs were brushed back and a gentle kiss was placed in their stead. Aunt Em sobbed loudly, thanking whatever god she could for his safe return, but Oscar’s tears were silent as he clung to the two of them, eventually sinking down into the dirt where his pants were dirtied with the clay-like soil and his family could tackle him fully in a warm hug.

He was home.

* * *

It was midnight. Oscar’s eyes bored into the ceiling of the attic as the blues and blacks of the night sky swirled around outside his window, no moonlight besides a single ray coming in from one broken piece in the sky. It struck a white line straight across the room, all the way to the small pocket mirror that sat on his trunk by the door. Oscar hadn’t slept. His muscles had relaxed and his eyes had been shut as the world darkened around him, but he had been stuck in consciousness, forced to be all too aware of times passing but his muscles too frozen to break him out of it.

He had been feeling this a lot lately, like his body was no longer his own, that his muscles would twitch but it was not for him but for someone else. A bucket would be falling off the rafters in the barn and before Oscar could see or hear the screech of the metal tipping over the wooden beam his arm would be shooting out, or he would be walking the fields and suddenly his knees would give out, or one shoulder would jerk his arm down, his fingers twitching just above the grass before Oscar righted himself and continued walking. He always felt some sort of sadness then, some sort of guilt that would stay with him for hours. He always kept on walking though, not understanding it and figured he never would.

Perhaps, he always reasoned, it was from missing Beacon.

He was not a good huntsman, likely he never would have been good enough to make it to graduation, but there was absence in his life now. He had the reflexes, had experienced the thrill, the adrenaline coursing through him. He had gone beyond this farm and been somewhere new, met so many people-

His whole body jerked when he remembered Myrtle. It was almost like seeing her face again brought about a nightmare sensation of images all at once. Still, it was not enough for him to regain control of his muscles again, and he hated it.

He was tired, thirsty, and just sick of everything. He wanted to get up and go to the bathroom, he wanted to get up and run out of Aunt Em’s house and just keep running into the forest. He wanted to run somewhere where he never had to think about Beacon or Myrtle or Ozpin again-

He wanted to run to Beacon. No, wait. He wanted to run to a school. Another school like Beacon- This one was warm and brown instead of cold and gray, inside the walls were green and there was a large statue and it led to a vaultvaultvaultvaultvault-

_Allow me._

_What?_

Oscar’s eyes remained unblinking at the ceiling, but it was almost as if a ghost had descended and was wrapping around him, it’s foggy spirit curling around his arms and legs and tugging them upward, sitting him up and bringing him back to life. It swung his legs over the bed, and then it stood him up. He was walking naturally now, moving towards the door, and as Oscar continued to stare emptily, his vision unfocused and suddenly he was sucked through the door, through a thousands doors he had never seen but had walked before. He was in darkness, pulled into a void and a thousand hands were reaching for him, crawling all over him as they reminded him that he let _her kill them. You let her kill trillions, all of humanity-_

Oscar gasped and suddenly his muscles were back in his control. His knees gave out and he slammed into the trunk, falling to the floor as his head clipped the side of his bed. There was a soft clattering and he opened his eyes, seeing the small mirror still spinning as it tried to settle on the ground. Oscar suddenly surged for it, forcing himself to his knees and he peeled it open and stared at his reflection. He clutched one hand over his wrist to steady his shaking, and his eyes flitted over every inch of the mirror, desperate to find _something,_ but he didn’t know what.

That ghostly feeling was still there. He had regained control of his body, but he could still feel it wrapping around his limbs. It was pulling away now, it's arms and legs slipping off of his arms and legs, but it was still at his back. If he shifted the mirror right, maybe he could see it, maybe it was behind him-

Oscar froze, and stared at his own reflection. He _heard_ something. It had been drowned out by his own thoughts, but he _heard_ it.

The moonlight hit the mirror, blocking out the face as someone _else_ flashed over its reflection, and Oscar jumped back, dropping it to the floor. A shard of glass shot out and cut his hand, and blood began to bead out as horror settled into Oscar’s chest.

“No…”

_“I… apologize for this Oscar.”_

“No!”

_“I never… wanted to have to explain it to you this way. Frankly-”_

“No! No! No!” Oscar banged his fists against the sides of his head, screaming as the voice inside his head only got sadder and sadder, the ghost’s weight settled onto his shoulders, becoming one with him before it dissipated. Oscar reached out and grabbed the broken mirror, staring at it as his body shook with rage and tears.

“No! You knew, didn’t you?! You knew! Why didn’t you-”

_“I never wanted it to be you.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, the title is taken from that song by the Wombats that has been circulating on TikTok recently (although I've been listening to them for years, that remix was what got me through writing the final third of this fic). I originally had more scenes planned for this story, but at a certain point it already felt too long so I decided to just work with what I already had and finish it off. I also went into the story not wanting to put so much emphasis on the original character, but I quickly realized if I was to do anything with Oscar here I would need to not make them blank slates. Slowly though, I fell in love with them, especially Myrtle, and thought of ways to tie them into the more overarching plot of RWBY, although I don't know if I'll write a continuation to this. I'm definitely burned out of writing RWBY stories for at least a month after finishing this! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.


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